Rene Archer wins 1st and 2nd from Messac 118 miles on the 02/06/12 with a 2year old Jan Aarden which was lightly raced as a yearling......
Rene also took 1st on the 19/05/12 from Carentan 62 miles with a Barker, his daughters were also 2nd in the same race where they were the only birds home on the day.....Well done to Rene and his daughters.

The N.E.H.U race from Melton Mowbray 21/4/2012 was won by Peel bros of South Shields, they took 1st club 1st fed, also taking 2nd and 4th club and 15 of the 25 birds clocked in the club......well done Peel brothers.

US health alert.

"""PIGEON HEALTH ALERT Numerous cases of an undiagnosed fatal pigeon disease are being reported in many pigeon lofts east of the Mississippi and in Europe. Literally thousands of pigeons of many different breeds have died; show breeds and racing homers among the hardest hit. It has not been detected in feral pigeons as of yet. Lofts are reporting 50-75% losses with hundreds of losses from individual breeders…as many as 800 pigeons in one case. The Schools of Veterinarian medicine at the University of Minnesota, Michigan State, and University of Pennsylvania are all currently and actively investigating the disease. Avian influenza has been ruled out, although it does appear to be viral in origin. Typically, the diagnosis has been difficult because of the potential for secondary infections. The symptoms vary widely. Some birds may appear to lose their appetite, quickly lose weight, and die within a few days. Other, apparently healthy birds with good body weight die suddenly over night. The route of transmission is unknown at this point in time.The best way to prevent the disease right now, with the relatively little information available, is to sharpen your loft management procedures, and above all, avoid contact between your pigeons and pigeons from other lofts. It is best to avoid trading, buying, selling, showing and racing pigeons until more is known about the disease. Use 10% Chlorox or Virkon S to sterilize drinkers and feeders, update your worming routines, and keep your lofts clean. Vaccination against PMV and Paratyphoid is recommended, as it may stimulate the pigeon’s immune system in the event of contact with this disease. There is no treatment available at this time, so plenty of clean food and drinking water is about the best we can do.Part of the problem incurred is the reluctance of some pigeon breeders to divulge the fact that they have a disease in their lofts. Please report any such occurrence to me or to one of the three universities and your privacy will be protected; especially if an occurrence develops in lofts west of the Mississippi, although its spread seems inevitable. The Universities are actively recruiting sick birds or birds that die suddenly for necropsy from lofts that sustain heavy losses. Please do not send in the occasional death of an individual pigeon from more common diseases. This would be of no help. They are looking for lofts with heavy losses that are unresponsive to medication; vaccinated (PMV and Paratyphoid) or not vaccinated. If anyone has flocks of feral pigeons nearby, please monitor their roosting areas to see if you can detect and obtain any losses among the wild populations. Dead birds that are sent in should not be frozen, but should be sent in a Styrofoam container with frozen water bottles to keep the carcass cool and minimize tissue damage.Jerry Cagne at Foy’s Pigeon Supplies in Pennsylvania has been hit by the disease, has as much knowledge as anyone at this point, and is writing an article for the Purebred Pigeon magazine and the NBRC Bulletin, as well as others. The Presidents of the NPA and the American Racing Pigeon Union have not come out with any statements, just yet, for fear of causing widespread over-reaction, until more is known. As was stated earlier, preventive maintenance is the best strategy at this point. Additional information will be forthcoming as it becomes available. Special thanks to Cam Datanagan for his input and for alerting us to the progression of this potential pandemic.-Cliff Ball NBRC Director at Large"""

Not something I worry about. 30 plus feral pigeons around here and all look healthy.

Similar thing down here Hal this year just recently. They are calling it Rio virus I believe. Our resident expert "Dr Spock"is on top of it ??? & is talking about another vaccine like PMV etc if possible.